According to
Data Collected by
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
and Analyzed by Oxford Economics and
the U.S. Travel Association

Washington,
D.C. - December 5, 2012 – Workers
who begin their careers in travel achieve higher wages, have greater
access to
educational opportunities and enjoy better career progression,
according to a
first-of-its-kind study of more than 30 years of longitudinal data
collected by
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and analyzed by Oxford
Economics and
the U.S. Travel Association.

"The
data is conclusive: workers whose first job is in the travel industry
progress
further in their careers than individuals who get their start in other
industries,
and travel industry work experience helps Americans earn higher wages
and
attain an education," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S.
Travel
Association. "Travel jobs provide important, transferable skills that
are
indispensable to career success, and careers in travel deliver
financial
security with the majority of travel industry workers earning a
middle-class
income or higher."

Titled "Fast Forward: Travel Creates
Opportunities and Launches Careers," the report presents case
studies and summarizes BLS labor force data on how travel jobs benefit
workers
and how careers in the industry progress over time compared to workers
who
began in other industries. (BLS has tracked more than 5,000 workers,
interviewing them every year between 1979 and 1994, and every two years
between
1994 and 2010.)
Key findings
include:

Earning Higher Wages: The
average maximum salary for employees who start their career in the
travel industry reaches $81,900 – significantly more than other
industries.

Promoting Educational
Opportunities: One-third of the 5.6 million Americans who are employed
part time to support themselves while they further their education work
in the travel industry. Among workers who began their careers in the
travel industry, 33 percent earned at least a bachelor's degree.

Building the Middle Class: The
travel industry is one of the top 10 largest employers of middle-class
wage earners in the U.S. More than half of all travel industry
employees (53 percent) earn a middle-class salary or higher.

Leading to Rewarding Careers:
Employees who work in travel jobs build valuable skills that can
translate into rewarding careers, both in travel and other industries.
Two out of five workers who start their careers in the travel industry
go on to earn more than $100,000 per year.

"In
recent years, the travel industry has quietly emerged as one of
America's
leading drivers of growth and job creation," said David Huether, senior
vice president for research and economics at U.S. Travel. "Every dollar
spent on travel has a ripple effect benefitting other sectors of the
economy.
In fact, the travel industry injects $1.9 trillion into the U.S.
economy and
supports 14.4 million jobs."
The full
report is available at: www.ustravel.org/jobs.The U.S. Travel
Association is the national, non-profit organization
representing all
components of the travel industry that generates $1.9 trillion in
economic
output and supports 14.4 million jobs. U.S. Travel's mission is to
increase
travel to and within the United States. Visit www.ustravel.org.
Follow us on Twitter @ustravel